A question that we get often from Pastors who want to start planting churches is, “Where do we start?”  The answer is simple, mentor young leaders.  On pg. 90 you’ll see the following mentoring principles:

1) “Live the life and do the stuff you talk about.” - You can’t teach it if you don’t do it

2) “Teach first from what you’ve experienced.” - Too many people want to start with what they have read lately or the latest speaker they heard, don’t do that.  Start with where you have been and go from there.

3) “Let others be around you in your context.” - Allow people to see you in your daily life and what you do from day-to-day.

4) “Hold people accountable.” - If you ask someone to do something, follow up with them!  Hold their feet to the fire.

5) “Give them bite-size things and watch them.” - Don’t give them the whole load - just a part.  Then watch what they do with it.

6) “Watch what’s unique about others and help them discover their own uniqueness.” - You have to first know what is unique about you, then help others find their own uniqueness.

7) “Let them see who you really are.” - Admit your faults.  When you’re honest about your weaknesses, you will increase your credibility with them.

“We are starting a church because it’s the best evangelistic method ever created.” I read that on a lot of church planting prospectuses - it’s only half true. It is a fact, that church planting is the most effective evangelistic method ever - but that is not enough. We have been starting churches for that reason - and if that’s it we’ll never start the kinds of churches that are truly going to see lives and communities transformed. History in America has born it out, that it is an insufficient reason by itself. In the 50’s, we got all these boomer’s and others to pray the sinners prayer, but they were also the ones that opted out ten and twenty years later. We also grew churches, but failed to see the church make any difference in it’s community.

What is the kind of church that makes a difference long term - only a church that is transformational. This is the third wave of contemporary church that we’ve had since the 70’s, and also the third wave of “organic” “house” “simple” church as well. Once again, we are too obsessed with models and ignore history and what is even history in our recent past.

What draws us to this venture? How big is the Kingdom of God? What do we believe is really possible? It has to be to create a different kind of disciple. It has to be to dramatically impact the community in an Acts 17:6 sort of way. Where your starting point is, determines your behavior, metrics, and end game. In my book Transformation, I wrote “converts grow a church, but disciples change the world.” We’ll come back to that later - but for the time being the issue is where do we start. If I focus on conversion, that’s all I get. If I focus on transformation, I have to have a “convert” but then the question is where are we going - and it’s not just to church!

Yesterday in our worship I had two friends I’ve come to know that just happened to be in the US at the same time. One is from the West Bank who is raising money for a training facility for pastors in the Galilee area - where many of their churches are 20 in attendance. Another is from Nigeria with churches with thousands in attendance on Sunday. Both however, live for transformation and have seen it, and are in the midst of it. We all 3 had a blast. I had them come forward and we prayed over them and they shared their stories. How beautiful it was, 3 kinds of expressions of the church on 3 different continents by 3 different races but we were tightly united by what we believe the Gospel is and how it transforms. It’s not a church issue - it’s a kingdom issue. Get the kingdom, and you get the church. Go after the church, you don’t automatically get the Kingdom.

This is the network I want in, one based on engagment. Right now most of our American church networks are driven more by religious enculturation of tribal religious identity than they are by kingdom realities. When this happens, we will connect glocally and missionally. When this happens, it will be far beyond our tribe - it’s food, music, traditions, practices - it will be based around “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”

One of the things that concerns me, is how despite the fact that we have all the research in and the stories coming from all over the world, that church planting for the most part in the US is not local church driven. This is not an option. I am grateful for denominations, networks, organizations, etc. that push, promote and try to do it, but the reality is that there is no movement without local churches driving it. The past few years, the focus has been on the planter, now its starting to move towards the network, now the phrase I see a lot is “network of networks” and I even experienced that with Glocalnet. BUT, you can have all of that, if it isn’t local church driven - you will NEVER get to movement status. The key to movement is the mother even more than the planter, and definitely much more than the network or denomination.

Local churches have to own it - not just fund it. It has to be a part of their DNA. Church planting is the tithe of the local church. Tragically, we just don’t think it matters that much - it’s what someone else does. No pastor would be content to never see someone accept Christ, or people tithe, etc. but most pastors turn a deaf ear, a blind eye, a cold heart to church planting. The reason is two-fold. First is turf. Second, they view themselves as a church trying to reach their community. THIS IS ABSURD. No single church EVER reaches their community alone. Pastors need to think more like a missionary trying to “church” the community instead of being a pastor of a congregation in the community. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF MISSIONAL DNA!

Brian Bloye at Westridge in Atlanta, Georgia last year started close to 10 churches and this year will do probably the same. When the Brian’s and other church planting churches keep planting and connecting at the same time - watch out. . . . . Ed Stetzer’s research last year on church planting churches confirms it. Even on the list, Ed stated many of the churches listed didn’t necessarily represent just the church, but the churches network as well. It just shows the lack of apathy most churches have towards church planting - this must change. I believe the best hope of changing it however is new churches planting new churches.

I get excited not just about NorthWood - but the other 13 churches in our community that we’ve had a part in seeing begin. Right now - we’re working on a plan to see us start 25 churches a year. Will we be able to do it - I’m not sure, but we’re going to try - we’ll see. BUT, we’ll still get close to a dozen this year if it doesn’t work.

Soooo, if we understand that it’s a Jesus movement, not a church planting movement - the cpm comes out of the Jm - the next question is what is left? And I’m convinced it will be the emergence of global movements. For the most part, movements have been tribal and national. As I stated at the first part of the chapter, the Chinese are emulating this in their “Back to Jerusalem” movement. The linking factors in these movements will be two things - first is the centrality of Jesus and second the flatness of the connection points. Gateway global cities, airports, global entertainment sites, are all places where churches are emerging today. A global cpm is the natural progression from where we have come. It’s the natural response of an emerging global church. It’s necessary to engage society at all levels. It’s possible because of an emerging third culture which is global. It’s also possible because of technology and all forms of connectedness.

I believe they will also come from the East and South. I believe those of us in the West will join movements versus starting them. Not that we are “incapable” but because God cares for the whole world and for the Gospel to span it they are going to have to be driving it like never before. That means that we can join, resource, and participate and even lead in some ways- but they need to be point if it’s going to be really global.

On pages 39-44, I began the chapter on Global Church Planting Movements and, in doing so; I deal a little with defining the church. You notice the phrase “a little.” The reason is because I think we are lost in our definitions of church. When you say that, automatically we go to our theology–which isn’t bad, but neither is it enough. I’m not anti-theology, but our theology must not be “sola theologia!” When you discuss “church” with Chinese and others, the focus is more on who you are and where that leads you as a community. When you read it in theology books, it’s more the structure and community, and sorely lacking in purpose. For me, Alan Hirsch articulates it about as good as it gets. I also worked with Chris Seiple, President of IGE because of his exposure to the global church and the world as it is. The premise is, we must first understand theologically what the church is before we can function properly. I disagree.  I believe we must first live as family committed to loving the least and farthest. When that happens and Jesus is at the center, we behave in certain ways driven by the life of Christ, not polity. THEN, after we’re living the life of Christ, polity can be formed, but not until then. Furthermore, when we say church often we are saying primarily form or model of church, polity, and location. I believe the church is far bigger than my local congregation. If I really believe that, that has huge implications for how I relate to other churches and believers both in my community and worldwide.

The Evangelical Manifesto will be released at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.  You can read it here.

There are several things about movements I wrote–some obvious– some not:

1. It’s a Jesus movement - not a church planting movement.
2. Movements are highly personal and societal.
3. Jesus movements take time.
4. Jesus movements are led by disciples not church planters.
5. Historically only one Jesus movement per nation that involves everyone.
6. Jesus movements surge from the young.

You could list a lot of other things, but the reason I listed these was the first one is essential to understand what the movement is. The second should never be forgotten and Rodney Stark drives that home. The third is an observation I began to make as I read movements. It really opened my eyes to being patient and to value seed sowing–it goes against what I had thought or understood. The fourth is the movement can be viral. As long as it’s tied to the preacher, we can grow only as much as we have “religious professionals.” There is an unlimited amount of disciples, the question is what kind of disciples are we making. The fifth was depressing, but it winds up getting excited - there are many sub-movements, but only one national movement that sweeps a nation. The sixth–nothing new, but cannot be forgotten or we keep trying to reinvent yesteryear.

One side note, you can learn a lot from movements from studying the Civil Rights Movement, Woman’s Sufferage Movement, and others–both good and bad. Most have a leader with big vision, all have many evangelists, all are grassroots. All have hit a chord for a specific issue in time that people are ready to rally around.